Writing Outside the Box

I am 100% young adult contemporary romance. I am swoon-worthy boys and family/friend problems and love stories that make me wanna go *squee*.

I'm wrapping up the final book of an urban fantasy trilogy that is nothing like what I typically write. The characters are a bit harder around the edges, there are angels and demons, things are being chased, heartbeats are always kicking up a notch, and characters are forever brandishing knives and guns and . . . 

(Points Finger: Bang! Bang!)

There are authors who dabble in a variety of genres, but, for the rest of us, I think it's easy to fall into the trap of familiarity. We're comfortable, so we stick around. And there's nothing inherently wrong with that—writing a novel is difficult, anyway. Why make it any harder than it already is?

Still, after six or seven (or eight—no idea, I've lost count) contemporary YA manuscripts, this urban fantasy forced me to step outside my comfort zone. It affected my plotting, my pacing, my climaxes. . . .  From the moment I typed the first words onto the page it has been one wild ride—mostly a roller coaster of doubt. Am I doing this right? Could I have done this better? Should this really happen?

Trying to piece together a trilogy has been a huge challenge for me—I envy those of you who make it look easy. I've had hits, and misses, and I still haven't quite figured it all out yet, but I know that, at the end of the day, my writing will be better for stepping off that ledge and seeing this project through to completion.

So . . . if you're in a rut, or between projects, or are just looking to spice up your writing routine, try picking a new genre from the proverbial hat: Romance! Mystery! Thriller! Fantasy! Science Fiction! Historical! Post-Apocalyptic Time Travel Space Opera! Either way, write something you wouldn't normally write—a short story, a novella, or even a trilogy—and stick with it, even when it gets hard.

Anything that stretches those boundaries and helps us grow as writers is a good thing. And you never know where it might lead. :)

~Katie~

Katie Klein's YA Contemporary Romance, Cross My Heart, spent more than 140 days on the Amazon Teen Top 100 bestseller list and was a 2011 Goodreads Reader's Choice Awards Finalist for Best YA Fiction. Lately, she's spent most of her time wondering why the heck she ever tried to write an urban fantasy trilogy. If you're supposed to be writing but would rather procrastinate, feel free to follow her on twitter: @katiekleinbooks and/or check out her blog.

The Writing Monster

There are some people who write every day. As a full-time teacher and a mom of one, I don't always have the luxury of time available to do that.

I do, however, have ideas all the time. Stories are always floating just under the surface, just waiting to be developed while I drive to and from work, or daydream at lunch. I carry around two black Moleskine notebooks, one for Into the Shadows Trilogy notes and one for notes for other projects.

When I actually sit down to write, look out. Writing for me is a super intense process. Once I dive in, I'm totally stuck there until it's over. It almost becomes an obsession. I can understand why they say writers must suffer from a certain amount of madness because all I want to do is work on what I'm writing. I don't want to work or go out with friends, I just want to write. I get crabby when the phone rings or someone interrupts me because I'm so in the moment, I don't want to get pulled out of it. That's probably why I did okay with NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). It's a rush!

I'm almost done with my latest novel, Darkness Rising. In fact, hopefully by the time you read this post, it will be done. I've been writing like a crazy person over the last week and a half to make a final push to get the book finished. The good thing is that I can write anywhere, provided I have headphones. I need the music to block out all the distractions. My album choices on Spotify for this book have been Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, Mumford and Sons, and Ellie Goulding. Without them, there would be no book!!!

So what kind of writer are you? Do you write every day? Or do you have bursts of writing madness?

Karly Kirkpatrick loves reading and writing YA lit. She lives in the Chicago area with her husband, daughter, and two dogs and teaches high school German and French. She is probably one of the world's biggest Harry Potter fans. Her current books include Into the Shadows (Book 1 of the Into the Shadows Trilogy) , Bloody Little Secrets, The Green, and EIGHT. Coming Summer 2012 - Darkness Rising (Book 2 of the Into the Shadows Trilogy).

Follower Giveaway!!!

Okay, so I was supposed to have a post prepared for today, however the weekend kind of got away from me. This works out well for you, lovely followers, because it means I'm going to act like I'm on top of things and do a giveaway.

I recently came into possession of a duplicate ARC of Masque of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin (4/24) and I also received a finished copy of Black Dawn by Rachel Caine (5/1) which is #12 in the Morganville Vampire Series.

So, since I already have a copy of Masque of the Red Death and I've never read the other Morganville Vampire books, I am giving one lucky winner the chance to choose between the two.

All I ask is that since I received these books free of charge from the publishers, you review it. I don't care where. It can be on your blog, amazon, B&N, goodreads. Just post something somewhere. That's it. No hoops to jump through. Just be a follower and fill out the rafflecopter below. If you want to tweet about the giveaway, you will receive extra entries.

- Lots of Love, Melanie

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Time for a Vacation...

Everyone needs a break once in a while, right?

Right now, I'm getting mine. As you read this, I'm probably on the road - somewhere between Atlanta and Orlando. Yes, my family is embarking on The Great Road Trip of 2012!

We're off to Orlando (where the extended forecast tells me it's supposed to rain while we're there - grumph). Not to see the Mouse, but to see Harry Potter! My kids are almost 10 and almost 6 (their birthdays are mid-month) and both are dying to see Hogwarts. Me too!!!

Megg, 1979

The last time I was at Disney World, I was four. That was (let me get out my calculator - hang on a sec...) 32 years ago. I remember very little. There's bits and pieces of It's a Small World (which my mom says was the only time I stopped talking during the trip) and a teeny bit of the parade. I don't remember the parade specifically. I remember dancing in the street before it started. I guess I was cute because people were clapping for me. All I recall is the massive sunburn I had and that I was hot...and impatient, which is why I was dancing. I'm not very good at sitting still.

I know, you're reading this and you're wondering... What does this have to do with books or publishing or reading? Um, yeah, sorry, it doesn't have anything to do with any of those.

I'm on vacation so I wanted to give you one too. No deep thoughts. Just a reminder that sometimes it doesn't hurt to take a break from real life. All of us need a vacation, whether it's an afternoon off of work, holing up at the ice cream shoppe, or a weekend in Vegas. Break out of the routine once in a while. It's good for ya!

Okay, I have to prep now for wand selection at Ollivander's. When I was sorted on Pottermore, I ended up in Slytherin. I'm a little afraid of which wand will choose me... ;)

-Megg

I HAVE A DREAM

I’m not a leader. I’m not a follower.

I am an artist. I am a dreamer.

I dream of writing and sharing great stories. I dream of meeting amazing and supportive readers. I dream of interacting with and supporting my fellow authors.

I don’t care which path leads to me my dream. For me, it’s about the journey and the destination, not the vehicle in which I travel.

I personally know many “big” traditionally published authors, small press authors, self-published authors, and writers-who-will-one-day-be-published-somehow. I do not classify them by their path, or their vehicle. I learn their names and respect them for pursuing their dream.

Sometimes I read and watch quietly from the sidelines, as some (not all) authors, agents, editors, readers, reviewers and others in this storytelling business, argue or defend or scheme or belittle or throw stones, and I think, “Why?”

For the love of books, why can’t we all just get along?

I’ve heard some ambitious people talk about how they want to knock down the walls that separate traditional and indie authors and publishers. I understand the concept, but I don’t want to knock down anything—or anyone.

Instead, I want to throw a grand and beautiful garden party. Fantastic music and twinkle lights will lure everyone out from behind their walls to gather together under the same big sky. Competition and negativity will melt away as people smell the flowers and breathe in fresh air, meet and mingle, dance like no one is watching, and eat dessert first.

Name tags are optional, labels aren’t allowed, and no one cares how you were published, how big your deal was, your number of sales, how many followers you have, or the number of comments you receive. The simple fact that you are an artist, and a dreamer, and an eternal work-in-progress means that you are welcome and—as if there was ever any doubt—you are a VIP.

One of America’s greatest leaders, Martin Luther King Jr, was also a dreamer. I’m going to borrow the groundwork of his most famous speech, but adapt it to fit my dream for the world of storytelling.

I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the current stereotypes and upheaval of the publishing world, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this world will rise up and understand the true meaning of writer: We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all authors are created equal.

I have a dream that one day on the drama-filled pages of the internet, the sons and daughters of former slaves to the Big-Six-Is-All-That-Matters way of thinking will be able to sit down together at a table of readerhood.

I have a dream that one day even indie and self-published books, which currently exist in a world of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into a reader's paradise of justice and originality.

I have a dream that my fellow authors, no matter how they are published, will one day live in a world where they will not be judged by the name and size of their publisher, but by the content and quality of their stories.

I have a dream today.

Tell me, dreamers, what’s your dream?

Karen Hooper writes young adult paranormal and fantasy, and is the author of TANGLED TIDES and GRASPING AT ETERNITY. She is currently sunning and splashing around Florida with her two beloved dogs. Some of her addictions include coffee, chocolate and complicated happily-ever-afters.

You can find her at www.KarenAmandaHooper.com or on Twitter at @Karen_Hooper.

E-reading in our Schools?

Nook

E-reading Rocks!

I was talking to a fan at a book signing on Friday, and she mentioned that she bought her 13 year old a Kindle two Christmases ago and was frustrated that her teachers at the Jr. high wouldn't allow her to use it in class. This included her daughter's English teachers. This was interesting to me because I am a teacher.

Once I got the idea for my book, I quit full time teaching and started subbing for friends. As I would run around subbing, I almost always took a poll in the classes I taught and asked how many students had e-readers of some sort and how many used them. I was more than curious.

Kindle

Last year, I found that in Jr. highs in my area, Davis County, Utah, about 1/4 of students had the capability to read an e-book on a portable device. Only 1/20 of those students ever brought them to school to use because teachers wouldn't allow them.

In the high schools, I discovered 1/3 of students had the capability, and 1/10 used them in schools. Some English teachers allowed them and others did not.


This year, I found 1/2 of Jr. high kids had them and about 1/15 used them in schools. Kids say teachers are getting used to the idea if they aren't "old". No reading on your phone, though.

Kobo

In high schools, 3/4 of students have the capability and yet, only 1/10 use them in school. They say they just haven't ever downloaded a book, and teachers outside of English classes don't allow them to use them during free time. So, they might as well have a print book. A lot of these students use iPhones, and teachers don't trust their students. Big surprise. Dedicated e-readers can be used, but no phones.

iPhone

I can sympathize with these teachers, but at the same time, the world is changing. It's time to step up and embrace the contemporary look of books. The new Jr. high in our district is totally paper-free. The students are issued laptops, and all their books and course materials are online. I haven't been out to see the library. Can you imagine the library being an e-library? Wouldn't that change things?

I think it's important that we step up as parents, students, and communities to help school administrators adopt e-book friendly policies. If we don't, "old" teachers will remain in the 18th century and kids won't be able to take advantage of the technology available to them.

I have a Nook and love it. Does that mean I have to stop loving print books? No way! My shelves are stocked and I will continue to buy print books, but boy do I enjoy the ease of use of my Nook.

After we've reformed school policy, lets lobby the airlines to allow us to use our e-readers during taxi and take-off-that would be some great reform

I'll keep dreaming.

Have you jumped into the e-reading craze? Do you have a dedicated e-reader of do you use your phone or tablet? Do you think kids should be allowed to use their e-readers and phones at school to read? Inquiring minds want to know.